I wanted to pop in and share a few photos of my summer busyness. I had about 40 large conifers logged two winters ago, and the excavator that moved the large logs around uncovered hundreds of seeds of invasive weeds that just needed a bit of sun and water to grow into the most obnoxious plants ever. As part of my firewise work, I spend hours pulling diffused knapweed, mullein, and Canadian thistle each morning. I won’t share photos of that overwhelming job.
A cold and wet early spring and a chilly June meant a late start in my vegetable garden, but it’s coming along nicely.
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My fall-planted garlic was harvested last week and is curing in the barn.
Peppers, leeks, potatoes, and tons of dill. I let dill reseed as it wishes. Its scent confuses pests and attacts beneficial bugs.
Tomatillos, peppers, basil, and onions in the front. Two summer squashes, and a volunteer kale are on the other end.
My vegetable garden is messy. I encourage breadseed poppies to grow wherever they want. The flowers are short-lived but gorgeous. I collect the dried seed pods, saving the seeds for culinary use. Bees love them.
I usually don’t grow ornamental flowers, and so far, I am a bit disappointed with these zinnas and celosias. I wanted to cut them for vases, but they aren’t tall enough yet. Maybe next month…
My 5x5 milkweed patch is in full bloom, and I can hear the buzz of pollinators. In the afternoons, the butterflies are all over these flowers. Yesterday morning, I had a hummingbird sipping the nectar but would not cooperate for a photo. The scent is heavenly.
Brussels sprouts seed pods
I manage a seed library in my small village. Last fall, I dedicated two beds to growing seeds from biennials. Brussels Sprouts and leeks overwintered, flowered in the spring, and are now setting seeds. I will have thousands of seeds!
Leeks in flower (winter squash in the left background and lots of dill)
Yesterday, I had to escape the weeds and work. My local native plant society chapter held a picnic in a small remnant of an old-growth forest a little over an hour away from my home. I have been all over the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, but this was a new spot for me. One of our members is a retired professor who loves to teach and share his enthusiasm for nature.
This is an ancient tree—likely around 300-500 years old. A hemlock or Douglas Fir? and the branches and needles were too high for easy identification. The horizontal groove was from a cable that was wrapped around it for many years.
Maidenhair fern is my favorite. This is the first I have seen such a large grouping of them.
Devil’s Club is an iconic PNW plant. The inner bark of the root and stem has a history of medicinal use. Gloves are necessary—the stem is very thorny!
A nurse log is one of the first things I learned to identify in the PNW forest. When large cedar trees die, they fall over and serve as a bed for seeds (often hemlock trees) to germinate. As the young trees grow, the dead cedar decomposes, slowly sharing its nutrients with nearby species. Don’t listen to people who believe dead trees must be removed for fire protection. Decomposing is part of the cycle of life.
Are you having more fun than me? Please share in the comments what your summer days look like.
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I love all the photos and the factoids!!
All of this looks splendid, Sue! I envy all of that garlic. I only had 4 pitiful heads this year, partially because of the odd fall weather last year.
Your garden looks great!